BudsGunShop

[dunsho]

I guess I don't get why people buy factory new guns (used/surplus is a different story) from drop shippers like Bud's. Every time I've looked at their prices, I haven't found them to be that much cheaper than buying somewhere else local. Case in point, I was recently pricing a Colt 6920 AR. The Bud's price was/is $1045 (and it's now out of stock), and my dealer found one for $1050 OTD. By the time I factored in shipping (don't know if Bud's includes S&H in the price or not) & transfer, it was cheaper for me to buy it via my dealer, and he made more money on it to boot. I would much rather keep a local guy in business and get personal service than deal with a big company that doesn't care about me beyond my money.

The key to all this, of course, is finding a good FFL who is willing to look around and order stuff for you cheaply. I have found that the FFL's who sell stuff the cheapest usually don't keep a storefront and work from home (so they have lower overhead) and do it on the side for a little extra money rather than as a primary business.

ETA: I will say the Bud's website is useful for getting an idea of actual street retail for a particular gun (as opposed to MSRP), but that's about all I use it for.

not sure if you can drop ship guns. all my guns that i've ordered from them came from their warehouse in KY.

tho it might be true in your case, for me, buds price is way way way couple hundred cheaper then the stores i've been to in philly and philly area. my 1st gun cost me over 500.00 taurus 24/7 locally. when i got home i checked the internet to find out more bout the gun. buds was 1 of the 1st result.
it would of cost me 325.00ish inculding shipping and ffl.

also when i've brought locally i've been charge 5.00 (cabela) to 15.00 for "paperwork fee"
i want to buy locally but not when they over charge for everything, i'm just talkin bout the few local stores i've been too. the internet has brought a new way of shopping, local stores need to adapt. when i walk into a gun store i alway feel like "whos dick i need to suck to get good service" it should be like "sir can i suck your dick just for walking in my door"


* king's in KOP is the only place locally where i don't mind payin alittle more the ppl there are xtremely nice.

[y0rlik]

I would agree that most storefront FFL's charge more (sometimes much more) than a lot of internet only retailers who don't have the high overhead and low customer traffic of a storefront operation. On top of that, many of them charge high transfer fees and/or won't accept transfers from places like Bud's or other distributors since it cuts into (or eliminates) their profits. Instead, they rely on uninformed (often first time) and impulse buyers to make their money. They're trying to make money too, and that's their right.

I don't like playing that game either, however, so I found a 'kitchen table' FFL: a guy who works out of his house (and has another, primary business other than guns). He sells everything OTD for 10% over his cost. I get the best of both worlds: I get good service from someone who actually cares about me as a customer and will take care of me, and I get the good prices of an internet retailer/distributor. I also don't have to deal with the hassle of setting up a transfer or having an account with someone like Bud's, and if something gets messed up on the order, my dealer is the one who has to take it up with the distributor (not me). Less hassle on my end is worth a lot to me (and I'm a cheapskate par excellence).

When it comes to used guns, you're stuck with whoever has what you want, and the above advice doesn't really hold (although kitchen table FFL's also tend to charge low transfer fees; the two I use charge $20, as opposed to the $50 charged by the shop down the street).

ETA: I think it also makes a difference how expensive the item is. Psychologically, a $100 difference in price on a $1000 item is a lot easier to accept/ignore than a $100 difference in price on a $200 item. Even though the absolute price difference is the same, the relative price difference is not, and our emotions react more to relative than absolute differences.

[VeritasAequitas]

I've never had an issue with Bud's. I use Treeline Sports now for my transfers on firearms from Bud's. They tend to be much cheaper...I prefer to buy local, but when that dealer doesn't have an item in stock or wants to charge hundreds more, I'll order it from Bud's with no hesitation.

[xx AG xx]

My last few purchases have been from Buds Gun Shop.

There prices are hard to beat and there service was pretty quick.

Definitely will order from them again, as long as the price is right, which most of the time, it is.


AG

[mike4]

My loyalty to buds cost me 125. This time. My fault. Not theirs. I bought a couple of user handguns in the past. Can't complain but it's clear they get ya on higher end ,top shelf stuff. The prices are constantly changing.
I also can't see waiting a week to my ffl. Be funny if they sell ya a gun they have to get. That might take time. I don't trust anyone no matter what they claim. The results are obvious. They have prices that fluctuate like the weather. I found an A3 at Knesek guns 120 something cheaper than what I paid at buds. There are 2other stores who beat em by 100. But I'm not going promote or badmouth anyone running a business by listing stores ...Just the facts, but I did find 3stores beatingthem on the top shelf. I have 2 more 2000. Purchases coming up in the next 30 or so days and price , delivery time and the phone people's lack of cs skills have directed me elsewhere.
Maybe they should have "beamed the gun up to me" as one genius here has stated. "what's wrong with 5 days" Sure pal ,what's wrong with wanting what you can get in many other places plus service with a smile for repeat
customers. Not bs over the phone. On top of the snow job price.
I am only stating facts of one transaction. My last one. The prior 2 were fine. Just the facts.
They send you a price in an email that they won't honor 24 hrs later. You go through all these emailed phases and it's no bargain.

[crlovel]

My loyalty to buds cost me 125. This time. My fault. Not theirs. I bought a couple of user handguns in the past. Can't complain but it's clear they get ya on higher end ,top shelf stuff. The prices are constantly changing.
I also can't see waiting a week to my ffl. Be funny if they sell ya a gun they have to get. That might take time. I don't trust anyone no matter what they claim. The results are obvious. They have prices that fluctuate like the weather. I found an A3 at Knesek guns 120 something cheaper than what I paid at buds. There are 2other stores who beat em by 100. But I'm not going promote or badmouth anyone running a business by listing stores ...Just the facts, but I did find 3stores beatingthem on the top shelf. I have 2 more 2000. Purchases coming up in the next 30 or so days and price , delivery time and the phone people's lack of cs skills have directed me elsewhere.
Maybe they should have "beamed the gun up to me" as one genius here has stated. "what's wrong with 5 days" Sure pal ,what's wrong with wanting what you can get in many other places plus service with a smile for repeat customers. Not bs over the phone. On top of the snow job price.
They send you a price in an email that they won't honor 24 hrs later. You go through all these emailed phases and it's no bargain.

As the genius you referred to, again I ask, five days shipping from Bud's in Kentucky (I believe) to Florida. This involves Bud's processing your order, the shipper picking it up, shipper processing it on their end, trucking/flying it over multiple state lines, processing it on the receiving end, and trucking it over to your FFL. Five days is not too long to wait - most guns my local FFL orders for me takes the same amount of time or longer.

As for the 125 - you're right - your fault. No room to complain here, so why are you?

And as for the rest of it, then why do you go back if they constantly give you a snowjob bullshit story on the phone? With service that bad, and prices constantly changing and hundreds higher, you give them repeat business? I guess I just don't follow your train of thought here. Hang up and buy locally would be the logical answer.

[mike4]

I am done with this because I have stated the facts. As far as your concerned, just state your connection to buds and or stop trying to turn my facts around. Your obviously either financially connected to buds or you are just one of those key board big mouths.
Look, say what you will, prices are not what they were. Your selling the garbage real cheap and the premium stuff way over average.The economic crunch has caused your store to do things differently than in the recent past. Obviously your playing catch up. Your people are abrasive. The money I got rooked on will be shot up in 20 minutes with premium black hills ammo. Another thing I will not buy from you. I found someone to handle some 4200.00 of business for me next month. Thanks for the warning to go somewhere else. The boss will like reading it. However I won't revisit this thread again.

[mike4]

[QUOTE=crlovel;1697609]As the genius you referred to, again I ask, five days shipping from Bud's in Kentucky (I believe) to Florida. This involves Bud's processing your order, the shipper picking it up, shipper processing it on their end, trucking/flying it over multiple state lines, processing it on the receiving end, and trucking it over to your FFL. Five days is not too long to wait - most guns my local FFL orders for me takes the same amount of time or longer.

As for the 125 - you're right - your fault. No room to complain here, so why are you?

And as for the rest of it, then why do you go back if they constantly give you a snowjob bullshit story on the phone? With service that bad, and prices constantly changing and hundreds higher, you give them repeat business? I guess I just don't follow your train of thought here.

Whether your a buds guy or not, you certainly sound like their lawyer or something. "my fault". You this , me that....your
definitely not a genius so don't take it personally. I don't know why I get involved with this nonsense . There was no
They quoted me a price and would not honor it 24 hrs later. No big deal. I'm spending somewhere else. You wanna know what state ?
complaints until recently . Get it? I see now how they overprice things. I was loyal. I didn't shop like I should have. I
blow hundreds of dollars at the range each month. Why am I going to deal with people other than who I am familiar
with. BUT NOW , they showed me they have gouged prices , nasty people and crazy emails that I think only do one thing.
Do you follow me now? I was going to double space the words so as to help you understand the sequence of events I generalized in my description of my less than satisfactory transaction of late with buddy boy there. Ok. Jmo. But I was blind but now I see.
Forget it.

I will spend my money elsewhere . I suggest anyone looking look good. Buds is not cheaper , polite or timely anymore.


I certainly am. I'm done with this and you . Sorry mod's. Really.

[SCBaldr]

Bought an HK P30 on Monday off buds with the direct bank account transfer to get the cash price and not have to wait on a mail order to get there. It is now friday and they have had my money for the past three days and they have yet to ship it. I think its their way of saying buy the VIP membership by taking the maximum amount of time to process regular orders.

On the other hand. The brand new HK P30 9mm with V2 LEM trigger was a good $60 cheaper than any other site and $90 cheaper than any local shop. On top of the fact that buying local would mean paying the state around $50 just for being the state. I hate taxes and I refuse to give the state my hard earned cash that the state had nothing to do with me earning unless I absolutely have to. Thats one of the big reasons that I do most of my shopping online.

[crlovel]

I am done with this because I have stated the facts. As far as your concerned, just state your connection to buds and or stop trying to turn my facts around. Your obviously either financially connected to buds or you are just one of those key board big mouths.
Look, say what you will, prices are not what they were. Your selling the garbage real cheap and the premium stuff way over average.The economic crunch has caused your store to do things differently than in the recent past. Obviously your playing catch up. Your people are abrasive. The money I got rooked on will be shot up in 20 minutes with premium black hills ammo. Another thing I will not buy from you. I found someone to handle some 4200.00 of business for me next month. Thanks for the warning to go somewhere else. The boss will like reading it. However I won't revisit this thread again.

Lighten up, Francis, it's an honest question with honest points. I'm not affiliated with Bud's (although I am a keyboard bigmouth, and a real life bigmouth, too!), nor do I shop there - I support my local gun shops, I prefer to handle the stuff before I make purchases.

I asked because you made valid points why people shouldn't shop there (except for the shipping, sorry, five days is more than reasonable), and I'm curious as to what made you spend money there in spite of the issues you experienced. Sorry that you're done with the thread, I'd love to hear real answers.